Starz orders Catherine de Medici drama 'The Serpent Queen'

Feb. 4 (UPI) -- Starz said Thursday it has ordered an eight-part drama called The Serpent Queen, based on Leonie Frieda's book Catherine de Medici: Renaissance Queen of France.

No casting has been announced.

Working behind the scenes on the series are writer and executive producer Justin Haythe (Revolutionary Road, Red Sparrow and The Lone Ranger;) and executive producers Francis Lawrence (The Hunger Games: Catching Fire and The Hunger Games: Mockingjay;) and Erwin Stoff (The Matrix, 13 Hours and Edge of Tomorrow).

Stacie Passon -- whose credits include Transparent, Dickinson and Billions -- will direct multiple episodes including the first one.

"The Serpent Queen may be the most cunning account of one of the most influential women ever to wear a crown that Starz has told," Christina Davis, the cable network's president of original programming, said in a statement. "We are thrilled to be working with such an incredibly talented team who will give this series a modern voice among a sensational historical backdrop."

Starz is also the home of the historical dramas The White Princess, starring Jodie Comer, and The Spanish Princess, starring Charlotte Hope. A series about Eleanor of Aquitaine is also in the works.